U.S. patent number 7,320,062 [Application Number 11/241,009] was granted by the patent office on 2008-01-15 for apparatus, method, system and executable module for configuration and operation of adaptive integrated circuitry having fixed, application specific computational elements.
This patent grant is currently assigned to QST Holdings, LLC. Invention is credited to Paul L. Master, Stephen J. Smith, John Watson.
United States Patent |
7,320,062 |
Master , et al. |
January 15, 2008 |
Apparatus, method, system and executable module for configuration
and operation of adaptive integrated circuitry having fixed,
application specific computational elements
Abstract
The present invention concerns configuration of a new category
of integrated circuitry for adaptive computing. The various
embodiments provide an executable information module for an
adaptive computing engine (ACE) integrated circuit and may include
configuration information, operand data, and may also include
routing and power control information. The ACE IC comprises a
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to an
interconnection network. The plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements include corresponding computational elements
having fixed and differing architectures, such as fixed
architectures for different functions such as memory, addition,
multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction, configuration,
reconfiguration, control, input, output, and field programmability.
In response to configuration information, the interconnection
network is operative to configure the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for a plurality of different functional
modes.
Inventors: |
Master; Paul L. (Sunnyvale,
CA), Smith; Stephen J. (Los Gatos, CA), Watson; John
(Edgewood, WA) |
Assignee: |
QST Holdings, LLC (Palo Alto,
CA)
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Family
ID: |
25544633 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/241,009 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20060031660 A1 |
Feb 9, 2006 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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09997987 |
Nov 30, 2001 |
6986021 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
712/15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
7/57 (20130101); G06F 9/44505 (20130101); G06F
15/80 (20130101); G06F 15/7867 (20130101); Y02D
10/00 (20180101); Y02D 10/13 (20180101); Y02D
10/12 (20180101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
13/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;712/15 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Treat; William M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kaufman; Marc S. Nixon Peabody
LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to Paul
L. Master et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/997,987,
filed Nov. 30, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,021, entitled
"Apparatus, Method, System and Executable Module for Configuration
and Operation of Adaptive Integrated Circuitry Having Fixed,
Application Specific Computational Elements", incorporated by
reference herein, commonly assigned herewith, and with priority
claimed for all commonly disclosed subject matter (the "parent
application").
This application is related to Paul L. Master et al., U.S. Pat. No.
6,836,839 B2, issued Dec. 28, 2004, entitled "Adaptive Integrated
Circuitry With Heterogeneous And Reconfigurable Matrices Of Diverse
And Adaptive Computational Units Having Fixed, Application Specific
Computational Elements", filed Mar. 22, 2001, incorporated by
reference herein, commonly assigned herewith, and with priority
claimed for all commonly disclosed subject matter (the "first
related application").
This application is related to Paul L. Master et al., U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/997,530, entitled "Apparatus, System And
Method For Configuration Of Adaptive Integrated Circuitry Having
Fixed, Application Specific Computational Elements", filed Nov. 30,
2001, incorporated by reference herein, commonly assigned herewith,
and with priority claimed for all commonly disclosed subject matter
(the "second related application").
Claims
It is claimed:
1. A system for configuring and operating an adaptive circuit, the
system comprising: a first routable and executable information
module, the first module having first configuration information and
having a first routing sequence for routing; a plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements, the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements designated by the first
routing sequence of the first executable information module, a
first computational element of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements comprising a first fixed architecture and a
second computational element of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements comprising a second fixed architecture, the
first fixed architecture being different than the second fixed
architecture; and an interconnection network coupled to the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements, the
interconnection network adapted to selectively provide the module
to the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements, the
interconnection network further adapted to configure the plurality
of heterogeneous computational elements for a first functional mode
of a plurality of functional modes in response to the first
configuration information.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a second routable and
executable information module, the second module having second
configuration information and having the first routing sequence for
routing; and wherein the interconnection network is adapted to
reconfigure the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements
for a second functional mode of the plurality of functional modes
in response to the second configuration information, the first
functional mode being different than the second functional
mode.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a memory coupled to
the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements and to the
interconnection network, the memory adapted to store the first
configuration information.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first configuration
information is stored as a configuration of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first routable and executable
information module is stored in a machine-readable medium.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first routable and executable
information module comprises at least one discrete information data
packet.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first routable and executable
information module comprises a stream of information data bits.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a controller coupled
to the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements and to the
interconnection network, the controller adapted to combine the
first routing sequence for routing and the first routable and
executable information module to form the first routable and
executable information module.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted
to coordinating the configuration of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for the first functional mode with operand
data.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller comprises a
second plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to
the interconnection network, the second plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements configured for a controller operating
mode.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first configuration
information is a reference to a previously stored configuration
sequence.
12. A routable and executable information module for operating an
adaptive system, the routable and executable information module
stored in a machine-readable medium, the adaptive system including
a plurality of computational elements having a corresponding
plurality of fixed and differing architectures, the adaptive system
further including an interconnect network responsive to configure
the plurality of computational elements for a plurality of
operating modes, the module comprising: a plurality of information
sequences; wherein a first information sequence of the plurality of
information sequences is a first configuration sequence to direct a
first configuration of the plurality of computational elements; and
wherein a second information sequence of the plurality of
information sequences is routing information for selective routing
of the first information sequence to the plurality of computational
elements.
13. The module of claim 12, wherein a third information sequence of
the plurality of information sequences is first operand data for
the plurality of computational elements.
14. The module of claim 12, wherein the first information sequence
is a configuration specification.
15. The module of claim 12, wherein the first information sequence
is a reference to a stored configuration specification.
16. The module of claim 12, wherein the first information sequence
and the second information sequence have a discrete packet form or
a continuous stream form.
17. The module of claim 12, further comprising: a fourth
information sequence of the plurality of information sequences, the
fourth information sequence adapted to provide power control for a
selected computational element.
18. The module of claim 12, further comprising: a fifth information
sequence of the plurality of information sequences, the fifth
information sequence adapted to provide instantiation duration
control for a configuration of computational elements.
19. A method for adaptive configuration and operation, the method
comprising: using a first routing sequence of a first routable and
executable information module, selectively routing the first
routable and executable information module to a first plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements comprising a first
architecture; in response to first configuration information of the
first routable and executable information module, configuring the
first plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a first
functional mode of a plurality of functional modes; using a second
routing sequence of a second routable and executable information
module, selectively routing the second routable and executable
information module to a second plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements comprising a second architecture, wherein
the second architecture is different than the first architecture;
and in response to second configuration information of the second
routable and executable information module, configuring the second
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a second
functional mode of the plurality of functional modes.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: operating the first
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements in the first
functional mode while configuring the second plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements for the second functional
mode.
21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: storing the first
configuration information module in a machine-readable medium.
22. The method of claim 19, further comprising: coordinating the
configurations of the first and second pluralities of heterogeneous
computational elements with operand data.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein the first configuration
information is a reference to a previously stored configuration
sequence.
24. An adaptive integrated circuit, comprising: a memory adapted to
store routable configuration information and operand data; a
plurality of fixed and differing computational elements; and an
interconnection network coupled to the plurality of fixed and
differing computational elements, the interconnection network
adapted to selectively route the configuration information and
operand data to the plurality of fixed and differing computational
elements, the interconnection network further adapted to configure
the plurality of fixed and differing computational elements for at
least one functional mode of a plurality of functional modes in
response to the configuration information.
25. The adaptive integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the
configuration information provides an operating mode for use of the
operand data.
26. The adaptive integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the
plurality of functional modes comprises at least two of the
following functional modes: linear algorithmic operations,
non-linear algorithmic operations, finite state machine operations,
controller operations, memory operations, or bit-level
manipulations.
27. The adaptive integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the
configuration information is a reference to a previously stored
configuration sequence.
28. The adaptive integrated circuit of claim 25, wherein the
configuration sequence is stored as a configuration of the
plurality of fixed and differing computational elements.
29. The adaptive integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the
routing sequence is in a data packet with the configuration
information for the selective routing of the configuration
information.
30. An adaptive integrated circuit, comprising: a plurality of
executable information modules, each executable information module
of the plurality of executable information modules comprising
corresponding operand data and corresponding routing sequences; a
plurality of matrices, each matrix of the plurality of matrices
having a different configurable architecture and adapted to be
configured in response to configuration information; and an
interconnection network coupled to the plurality of matrices, the
interconnection network adapted to use the corresponding routing
sequences to selectively route the plurality of executable
information modules among the plurality of matrices, the
interconnection network further adapted to configure a first matrix
of the plurality of matrices in response to first configuration
information for a first operating mode and to provide corresponding
operand data to the first matrix for the first operating mode, and
further adapted to configure a second matrix of the plurality of
matrices in response to second configuration information for a
second operating mode and to provide corresponding operand data to
second matrix for the second operating mode.
31. The adaptive integrated circuit of claim 30, further
comprising: a controller coupled to the plurality of matrices, the
controller capable of providing the plurality of executable
information modules to the interconnection network.
32. An adaptive integrated circuit, comprising: a processor adapted
to form a first routable and executable information module, the
first module comprising a first routing sequence and first operand
data; and to form a second routable and executable information
module, the second module comprising a second routing sequence and
second operand data; a first plurality of fixed and differing
computational elements comprising a first circuit architecture; a
second plurality of fixed and differing computational elements, the
second plurality of fixed and differing computational elements
comprising a second circuit architecture different than the first
circuit architecture; and an interconnection network coupled to the
processor and to the first and second pluralities of fixed and
differing computational elements, the interconnection network
adapted to use the first routing sequence to selectively provide
the first module to the first plurality of fixed and differing
computational elements, the interconnection network further adapted
to configure the first plurality of fixed and differing
computational elements in response to first configuration
information, the interconnection network further adapted to use the
second routing sequence to selectively provide the second module to
the second plurality of fixed and differing computational elements,
the interconnection network further adapted to configure the second
plurality of fixed and differing computational elements in response
to second configuration information.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to integrated circuits
and systems of integrated circuits. More particularly, the present
invention relates to an apparatus, method, system and executable
module for configuration and operation of adaptive integrated
circuitry having fixed, application specific computational
elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The first related application discloses a new form or type of
integrated circuitry which effectively and efficiently combines and
maximizes the various advantages of processors, application
specific integrated circuits ("ASICs"), and field programmable gate
arrays ("FPGAs"), while minimizing potential disadvantages. The
first related application illustrates a new form or type of
integrated circuit, referred to as an adaptive computing engine
("ACE"), which provides the programming flexibility of a processor,
the post-fabrication flexibility of FPGAs, and the high speed and
high utilization factors of an ASIC. This ACE integrated circuitry
is readily reconfigurable, is capable of having corresponding,
multiple modes of operation, and further minimizes power
consumption while increasing performance, with particular
suitability for low power applications, such as for use in
hand-held and other battery-powered devices.
The second related application discloses a preferred system
embodiment that includes an ACE integrated circuit coupled with one
or more sets of configuration information. This configuration
information is required to generate, in advance or in real-time (or
potentially at a slower rate), the configurations and
reconfigurations which provide and create one or more operating
modes for the ACE circuit, such as wireless communication, radio
reception, personal digital assistance ("PDA"), MP3 or MP4 music
playing, or any other desired functions. Various methods,
apparatuses and systems are also illustrated in the second related
application for generating and providing configuration information
for an ACE integrated circuit, for determining ACE reconfiguration
capacity or capability, for providing secure and authorized
configurations, and for providing appropriate monitoring of
configuration and content usage.
A need remains, however, for an apparatus, method and system for
not only configuring, but also operating such adaptive integrated
circuitry, with one or more operating modes or other functionality
of ACE circuitry and other ACE devices. Such an apparatus, method
and system should be capable of configuring and operating the
adaptive IC, utilizing both configuration information provided
independently of user data or other content, and utilizing
configuration information provided concurrently with user data or
other content. Such an apparatus, method and system should provide
the means to, among other things, coordinate configuration with
data, provide self-routing of configuration and data, and provide
power control within ACE circuitry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The adaptive computing engine ("ACE") circuit of the present
invention, for adaptive or reconfigurable computing, includes a
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to an
interconnection network (rather than the same, homogeneous
repeating and arrayed units of FPGAs). The plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements include corresponding
computational elements having fixed and differing architectures,
such as fixed architectures for different functions such as memory,
addition, multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction,
configuration, reconfiguration, control, input, output, routing,
and field programmability.
In response to configuration information, the interconnection
network is operative, in advance, in real-time or potentially
slower, to configure and reconfigure the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for a plurality of different functional
modes, including linear algorithmic operations, non-linear
algorithmic operations, finite state machine operations, memory
operations, and bit-level manipulations. In turn, this
configuration and reconfiguration of heterogeneous computational
elements, forming various computational units and adaptive
matrices, generates the selected, higher-level operating mode of
the ACE integrated circuit, for the performance of a wide variety
of tasks.
The present invention illustrates various means for both
configuring and operating such adaptive integrated circuitry, for
one or more operating modes or other functionality of ACE circuitry
and other ACE devices. The present invention provides such
configuration and operation of the adaptive IC, utilizing both
configuration information provided independently of user data or
other content, and utilizing configuration information provided
concurrently with user data or other content. The present invention
also provides the means to, among other things, coordinate
configuration with data, provide self-routing of configuration and
data, and provide power control within ACE circuitry.
A preferred method of providing such configuration and operation
utilizes a "silverware" module (also referred to as "silverware")
comprised of a plurality of information sequences. A first
information sequence (or field) provides configuration control,
which may be either configuration information or a reference (such
as a flag or other designation) to corresponding configuration
information cached or stored in memory (or stored in a
configuration of computational elements). A second information
sequence provides operand data for use by configured computational
elements. A third information sequence provides routing control, to
direct the other information sequences to their appropriate
locations within the matrix environment of the ACE integrated
circuitry. Also in the preferred embodiment a fourth information
sequence is utilized to provide power control, to clock on or off
various computational elements. Other information sequences may
also be utilized, for example, to maintain configuration
instantiations for repeated use, or to define new fields or types
of information for future use (which are currently undefined).
For example, one of the preferred system embodiments provides,
first, means for routing configuration information to a plurality
of computational elements; second, means for configuring and
reconfiguring a plurality of computational elements to form a
plurality of configured computational elements for the performance
of a plurality of selected functions; third, means for providing
operand data to the plurality of configured computational elements;
and fourth, means for controlling configuration timing to precede a
receipt of corresponding operand data.
Another preferred system embodiment provides, first, means for
spatially configuring and reconfiguring a plurality of
computational elements to form a first plurality of configured
computational elements for the performance of a first plurality of
selected functions; second, means for temporally configuring the
plurality of computational elements to form a second plurality of
configured computational elements for the performance of a second
plurality of selected functions; third, means for providing data to
the first and second pluralities of configured computational
elements; and fourth, means for coordinating the spatial and
temporal configurations of the plurality of computational elements
with the provision of the data to the first and second pluralities
of configured computational elements.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention
will become readily apparent from the following detailed
description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the
claims and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary executable
information module in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a plurality of system
embodiments in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an integrated system
embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred adaptive
computing engine (ACE) embodiment in accordance with the present
invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a reconfigurable matrix, a
plurality of computation units, and a plurality of computational
elements, in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, a
computational unit of a reconfigurable matrix in accordance with
the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a preferred
multi-function adaptive computational unit having a plurality of
different, fixed computational elements, in accordance with the
present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a preferred
adaptive logic processor computational unit having a plurality of
fixed computational elements, in accordance with the present
invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, a
preferred core cell of an adaptive logic processor computational
unit with a fixed computational element, in accordance with the
present invention.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, a
preferred fixed computational element of a core cell of an adaptive
logic processor computational unit, in accordance with the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many
different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be
described herein in detail specific embodiments thereof, with the
understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an
exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not
intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments
illustrated.
As indicated above, a need remains for an apparatus, method and
system for configuring and operating adaptive integrated circuitry,
to provide one or more operating modes of ACE circuitry and other
devices incorporating ACE technology. Such an apparatus, method and
system are provided in accordance with the present invention, and
are capable of configuring and operating the adaptive IC, utilizing
both configuration information provided independently of user data
or other content, and utilizing configuration information provided
concurrently with user data or other content. The present invention
also provides the means to, among other things, coordinate
configuration with data, provide self-routing of configuration and
data, and provide power control within ACE circuitry.
The apparatus, systems and methods of the present invention utilize
a new form of integrated circuitry, referred to as an adaptive
computing engine. The ACE architecture utilizes a plurality of
fixed computational elements, such as correlators, multipliers,
complex multipliers, adders, routers, demodulators, and combiners,
which may be configured and reconfigured, in advance, in real-time
or potentially at a slower rate, through an interconnection
network, in response to configuration information, to form the
functional blocks (computational units and matrices) which may be
needed, at any given time, to execute or perform the selected
operating mode, such as to perform wireless communication
functionality. The methodology and systems of the present invention
also minimize power consumption and are especially suitable for low
power applications, such as for use in hand-held and other
battery-powered devices.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary executable
information module 70, preferably referred to as a "silverware
module", in accordance with the present invention. The module 70
may be implemented as one or more discrete information packets,
such as internet protocol (IP) packets, or may be implemented as a
continuous stream of information or other bit stream, as discussed
in greater detail below.
Referring to FIG. 1, the module 70 consists of a plurality of
information fields, some of which are requisite and some of which
are optional. In addition, depending upon the chosen embodiment,
the various fields (71-99) may occur in a plurality of different
orders, and in some embodiments, without regard to order. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, the module 70 includes header information in
field 71, such as synchronization, addressing, and security
information (such as digital signatures). Such header information
is typically included when the module 70 is transmitted or
transferred to an ACE circuit from an external source, such as
those illustrated in FIG. 2.
Next, fields 72-78 illustrate configuration information with
corresponding self-routing information. As discussed in greater
detail below, this routing information has two purposes: first, it
directs the configuration information to a cache or memory location
for storage within the various matrices of the ACE architecture,
and second, it directs the configuration information to its
designated or specified location to configure computational
elements within the various matrices of the ACE architecture. (It
should be noted that once configured, the computational elements
and interconnection network effectively also operate as a memory,
storing the configuration information as the actual configuration.)
The routing information may be provided to the ACE by an external
source or may be self-generated by the ACE architecture. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, fields 72 and 73 provide routing information
for configuration "A" and configuration information for
configuration "A", respectively; fields 74 and 75 provide routing
information for configuration "B" and configuration information for
configuration "B", respectively; fields 76 and 77 provide routing
information for configuration "C" and configuration information for
configuration "C", respectively; and fields 78 and 79 provide
routing information for configuration "D" and configuration
information for configuration "D", respectively.
Such routing and configuration information, in the preferred
embodiment, are provided for all configurations to be utilized in
providing one or more operating modes for ACE circuits and devices.
As illustrated below, there are many instances in which only
configuration information is provided to an ACE device, which may
then internally generate its own routing information. In other
cases, both types of information may be provided to an ACE from an
external source. Following such configuration, for example, as a
mobile communication device, user data may be provided separately,
such as voice data during a mobile communication session.
In yet other cases, such configuration and routing information may
be provided concurrently with user data. For example, an MPEG file
may be downloaded to an ACE device, consisting of both
configuration information and the music content to be played. For
these circumstances, and for the internal operation of the ACE
architecture as discussed in greater detail below, additional
information is included in the module 70. Referring to FIG. 1, the
module 70 preferably includes references or flags to indicate
previously provided and stored configuration information, such as
field 80, providing a reference or flag to configuration
information "A" and field 81, providing a reference or flag to
configuration information "B". These references or flags are used
to coordinate the timing of configurations with respect to arriving
data, i.e., to "call", initiate or otherwise direct the occurrence
of these configurations prior to a receipt of data by these
configured computational elements. Next, as illustrated, the module
70 (optionally) includes a power control field 82, which is
utilized to separately and independently clock (or power) the
various components of the ACE architecture, for example, to provide
clocking to configurations "A" and "B", while saving power in then
currently unused portions of the IC.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, fields 83-97, among other things,
illustrate the provision of user data to the ACE architecture,
namely, the data to be utilized, operated upon or "crunched" by the
various configured computational elements in performing their
various functions ("user data" or "operand data"), such as discrete
cosine transformation, and may also include other data or
parameters useful in establishing or restoring settings of the
various computational elements, such as previously derived
equalizer coefficients ("coefficient data"). (Such operand or user
data, as used to herein, provides a "shorthand" distinction among
types of information, distinguishing data to be "crunched" from
configuration information, configuration data, or other types of
information, such as routing and clocking information.) Routing
information is also utilized to provide self-routing of the data to
their appropriate matrix locations. In addition, an optional field
may be included to designate types of information, such as
configuration information or data information.
As illustrated, fields 83 and 84 provide routing information for
the data for configuration "A" and the data to be used in or by
configuration "A", respectively; field 85 provides a reference or
flag to generate configuration "C"; fields 86 and 87 provide
routing information for the data for configuration "B" and the data
to be used in or by configuration "B", respectively; field 88
provides a second or substitute routing location for configuration
"D" (such as a different location within the various matrices), and
field 89 provides a reference or flag to generate configuration
"D"; fields 90 and 91 provide routing information for the data for
configuration "A" and additional data to be used in or by
configuration "A", respectively; fields 92 and 93 provide routing
information for the data for configuration "C" and the data to be
used in or by configuration "C", respectively; fields 94 and 95
provide routing information for the data for configuration "D" and
the data to be used in or by configuration "D", respectively; and
fields 96 and 97 provide routing information for the data for
configuration "B" and the data to be used in or by configuration
"B", respectively. Another field (98) may be used to provide
information concerning or designating an information type (for
example, that configuration information will be the next fields in
the module 70). As another option, an additional field (field 99)
may also be utilized for "loop" instructions, to indicate that a
particular instantiation of a configuration is to remain in place
for a particular duration or number of cycles. Other fields may
also be utilized, for example, to define new types of information
for future use (which are currently undefined), or otherwise to be
self-extensible. As illustrated, the module 70 may continue,
providing more configuration information and data (with
corresponding routing information, power control, type
designations, and so on), for as long as the ACE architecture is
being utilized or operated. The use of the information provided in
module 70 is also discussed in greater detail below.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a plurality of system
embodiments in accordance with the present invention. As indicated
above, and as discussed in greater detail below, the preferred
system of the present invention consists of an ACE 100 coupled or
combined with configuration information (such as a module 70), and
may be implemented in a wide variety of embodiments including, for
example, within wireless devices 30 and 32, wireline device 35,
computers 55, consumer electronics, automobile electronics 37, and
network infrastructure equipment, such as servers 54, routers 53,
local area network (LAN) 41, wireless LAN 43, wide area network
(WAN) 42, adjunct network entity 50, switching systems 52 and 56,
wireless base stations 25, and any other electronic device.
As a point of clarification, the terminology "configuration
information", as used herein, should be understood generally to
have and include its linguistic, plural connotation, i.e.,
configuration information is a plurality of information bits,
groups or sets of information, namely, a "plurality" of
configuration information. For example, "configuration information"
may be viewed as being a set of configuration information comprised
of a plurality of subsets, such subsets being first configuration
information, second configuration information, third configuration
information, and so on, through n.sup.th configuration information.
Although a subset of configuration information may be singular (one
bit of information contained in the subset), each such subset of
configuration information is also generally plural, typically
including more information than may be encoded by a single bit,
such as 8, 16, 32 or 64 information bits.
Configuration information, such as that illustrated in module 70,
with or without user or coefficient data, may also exist in a
variety of forms, and at any given time, may have a stored (or
fixed) nature, or may have a transient or temporal nature. For
example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, executable modules (such as
module 70), or other configuration information (without the form of
module 70), may be stored as a binary (bit) file in a flash memory
10 (for device 35) or in a computer or other machine-readable
medium 20 (such as a CD-ROM, other optical drive, computer memory,
hard drive or floppy disk) for computer 55B. As discussed in
greater detail below, such configuration information may also be
interdigitated or intertwined with data, forming a silverware
module such as module 70, and also stored as a binary (bit) file in
a silverware storage media 15 or other medium (such as flash memory
or CD-ROM). The module 70 or configuration information may also
occur transiently and across time, for example, when wirelessly
downloaded from a base station 25A to a wireless device 32 (such as
a mobile station or other mobile telephone) over an air
interface.
Referring to FIG. 2 in greater detail, a plurality of networks are
illustrated, including local area network ("LAN") 41, wireless LAN
43, wide area network ("WAN") 42, and, more generally, network 40,
such as a public switched telephone network ("PSTN") or internet.
Coupled to the various networks are routers 53A and 53B, servers
54A and 54B, wireline switching center 56, mobile switching center
("MSC") 52, with further connection or couplability to wireless
base stations (or other wireless transceivers) 25A and 25B,
wireline device 35, computers 55A and 55B, and adjunct network
entity 50. As known in the art, these various devices may be
connected via trunking, optical and other signaling lines to each
other and to broader networks (such as to a PSTN or internet), with
multiple communication connections to other locations, such as
providing a link to a satellite (not separately illustrated) and
providing other wireless links (air interfaces). Router 53B, server
54B, base station 25B, and computer 55B are separately designated
(with "B") to illustrate the potential inclusion of an ACE 100 (and
the systems of the present invention) within such infrastructure
equipment, and within local area network (LAN) 41, wireless LAN 43,
wide area network (WAN) 42, adjunct network entity 50, in addition
to inclusion within consumer, automotive, and mobile electronics.
Also, while the wireline and mobile switching centers 56 and 52 are
usually physically separated due to regulatory and other historical
or legacy reasons, these switching centers may also be combined
into one or more switching centers having both wireline and
wireless functionalities.
These various server, switching, routing and other entities may
also be connected through network 40 to one or more intelligent
network devices referred to as an adjunct network entities, such as
adjunct network entity 50, which may be an additional type of
server, database, a service control point ("SCP"), a service
circuit node ("SCN") (also referred to as a service node), an
intelligent peripheral ("IP"), a gateway, or another intelligent
network device. One or more adjunct network entities 50 are
preferably connected or coupled to a network 40, for direct or
indirect connection to wireline switching center 56, MSC 52, local
area network (LAN) 41, wireless LAN 43, wide area network (WAN) 42,
routers 53 and servers 54. In the preferred embodiment, an adjunct
network entity 50 provides a node or platform for particular
applications ("application nodes") 51, illustrated as application
nodes 51A, 51B through 51N, to perform various functions such as
providing downloads of configuration information, executable
modules 70, authentication, security, authorization, and
compatibility evaluation. In addition to inclusion within an
adjunct network entity 50, these various application nodes 51 may
also be distributed among or included within the other various
devices, such as within one or more servers 54. For example, one
server 54 may be utilized to provide configuration information,
with an adjunct network entity 50 utilized for authentication and
security, with tracking and accounting occurring at yet another
server 54 or computer 55.
For purposes of explanation and not limitation, the various systems
of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 2, include: system
11 (ACE 100 of wireline device 35 with configuration information or
modules 70 in FLASH 10); system 16 (ACE 100 of wireless device 30
with configuration information or modules 70 in silverware storage
medium 15); system 31 (ACE 100 of wireless device 32 with
configuration information or modules 70 stored in a form of memory
(separately illustrated in FIG. 3), such as RAM or a matrix
interconnection network ("MIN"), discussed below); system 21 (ACE
100 of computer 55B with configuration information or modules 70
stored in computer readable medium 20; system 22 (ACE 100 of server
54B with configuration information or modules 70 stored in a form
of memory (separately illustrated in FIG. 3); and system 23 (ACE
100 of router 53B with configuration information or modules 70
stored in a memory (separately illustrated in FIG. 3). As may be
apparent, a system of the present invention may be embodied within
any device or other article, in addition to those illustrated
(e.g., LAN 41, wireless LAN 43, WAN 42, and adjunct network entity
50), which include both an ACE 100 and configuration information
(or module 70) for the provision of a corresponding operating mode,
and may otherwise be co-extensive with any particular apparatus or
other embodiment.
Other network or distribution level systems are also included
within the scope of the present invention. Exemplary network
systems may include one or more application nodes 51, in an adjunct
network entity 50 or other server 54, which provide configuration
information or silverware modules (configuration information
coupled with data), such as a module 70, for use by an ACE 100. By
storing such configuration and other information, such network or
distribution level systems effectively store "hardware" on the
"net". Such network or distribution level systems, in response to a
request from or on behalf of an ACE 100, in the preferred
embodiment, may provide one or more of the following: one or more
sets of configuration information; content or other data modified
for use with configuration information; silverware modules (70)
combining configuration information with corresponding data or
other content; configuration information tailored or watermarked
for a unique device; and/or encryption of configuration information
or silverware modules.
Distributed systems are also within the scope of the present
invention, as configuration information does not need to be local
to any given ACE 100 device. For example, configuration information
or silverware may be stored across a network 40, such as between
and among application nodes 51, adjunct network entity 50, other
server 54, and the other illustrated elements of FIG. 1. For such
distributed systems, the ACE 100 may only be configured, such as
through an operating system ("OS"), to obtain the configuration
information, such as through one of these network devices.
Other distributed systems, within the scope of the present
invention, are comprised of clusters of ACE 100 devices, which are
configured to be aware of each other. For example, wireless IP
routing could occur by nearest neighboring ACEs, each configured
for both reception and transmission operating modes. Other ACE
clusters could perform parallel processing tasks, act as a
distributed antenna system, or otherwise perform interactive
functions.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an integrated system
embodiment 60 in accordance with the present invention. The system
60 is preferably implemented as a single integrated circuit (system
on a chip or "SOC"). The system 60 includes an ACE 100, and may
also include a memory 61, an interface 62 and one or more other
processing elements 65. Such a system 60, for example, may be
included within routers 53 and servers 54 of FIG. 2, or may be
included within other embedded systems, such as within mobile
stations or devices 30 and 32, wireline device 35, and so on. When
the system 60 is comprised solely of an ACE 100, as discussed in
greater detail below, that ACE 100 will generally be configured to
include processing, interface and other I/O functionality, with
memory configured either through memory computational elements or
directly within the matrix interconnection network (MIN). The
system 60, as illustrated in FIG. 2 with optional processing
element 65, interface 62, and memory 61, will typically be
implemented to provide backwards or retro-compatibility with
existing or other legacy systems and devices.
The interface 62 is utilized for appropriate connection to a
relevant channel, network or bus; for example, the interface 62 may
provide impedance matching, drivers and other functions for a
wireline interface, may provide demodulation and analog to digital
conversion for a wireless interface, and may provide a physical
interface for the memory 61 with other devices. In general, the
interface 62 is used to receive and transmit data, depending upon
the selected embodiment, such as voice information, configuration
information, silverware modules (70), control messages,
authentication data and other pertinent information. The ACE 100
may also be configured to provide the functionality of the
interface 62, including internal IC input/output ("I/O") [[I/O]]
and external (off-chip) I/O, such as for PCI bus control. The
memory 61 may be an integrated circuit or portion of an integrated
circuit, such as various forms of RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FeRAM, MRAM,
ROM, EPROM, E.sup.2PROM, flash, and so on. For non-IC (or non-SOC)
embodiments, the memory 61 may also be a magnetic (hard of floppy)
drive, an optical storage device, or any other type of data storage
apparatus and, as indicated above, may be distributed across
multiple devices. In addition, depending upon the selected
embodiment, and as discussed in greater detail below, the memory 61
may also be included within the ACE 100, through memory
computational elements or within the matrix interconnection network
(MIN). One or more processing elements 65 optionally may be
included within system 60, to provide any additional processing
capability, such as reduced instruction set ("RISC") processing, or
may be included as computational elements within the ACE 100.
The use and/or creation of modules 70, and the operation of the
various systems illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 are discussed in
greater detail below, with reference to FIGS. 4-10 and
corresponding explanation of the ACE 100 architecture.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred ACE apparatus
100 embodiment in accordance with the present invention. The ACE
100 is preferably embodied as an integrated circuit, or as a
portion of an integrated circuit having other, additional
components. (The ACE 100 is also described in detail in the related
application.) In the preferred embodiment, and as discussed in
greater detail below, the ACE 100 includes one or more
reconfigurable matrices (or nodes) 150, such as matrices 150A
through 150N as illustrated, and a matrix interconnection network
(MIN) 110. Also in the preferred embodiment, and as discussed in
detail below, one or more of the matrices 150, such as matrices
150A and 150B, are configured for functionality as a controller
120, while other matrices, such as matrices 150C and 150D, are
configured for functionality as a memory 140. While illustrated as
separate matrices 150A through 150D, it should be noted that these
control and memory functionalities may be, and preferably are,
distributed across a plurality of matrices 150 having additional
functions to, for example, avoid any processing or memory
"bottlenecks" or other limitations. Such distributed functionality,
for example, is illustrated in FIG. 5. The various matrices 150 and
matrix interconnection network 110 may also be implemented together
as fractal subunits, which may be scaled from a few nodes to
thousands of nodes. As mentioned above, in the preferred
embodiment, the adjunct network entity 50 of the present invention
is embodied as an ACE 100 or as one or more matrices 150 (with
corresponding interconnection networks).
A significant departure from the prior art, the ACE 100 does not
utilize traditional (and typically separate) data, direct memory
access ("DMA"), random access, configuration and instruction busses
for signaling and other transmission between and among the
reconfigurable matrices 150, the controller 120, and the memory
140, or for other I/O functionality. Rather, data, control (such as
power and timing information) and configuration information are
transmitted between and among these matrix 150 elements, utilizing
the matrix interconnection network 110, which may be configured and
reconfigured, to provide any given connection between and among the
reconfigurable matrices 150, including those matrices 150
configured as the controller 120 and the memory 140, as discussed
in greater detail below.
It should also be noted that once configured, the MIN 110 also and
effectively functions as a memory, directly providing the
interconnections for particular functions, until and unless it is
reconfigured. In addition, such configuration and reconfiguration
may occur in advance of the use of a particular function or
operation, and/or may occur in real-time or at a slower rate,
namely, in advance of, during or concurrently with the use of the
particular function or operation. Such configuration and
reconfiguration, moreover, may be occurring in a distributed
fashion without disruption of function or operation, with
computational elements in one location being configured while other
computational elements (having been previously configured) are
concurrently performing their designated function. This
configuration flexibility of the ACE 100 contrasts starkly with
FPGA reconfiguration, both which generally occurs comparatively
slowly, not in real-time or concurrently with use, and which must
be completed in its entirety prior to any operation or other
use.
The matrices 150 configured to function as memory 140 may be
implemented in any desired or preferred way, utilizing
computational elements (discussed below) of fixed memory elements,
and may be included within the ACE 100 or incorporated within
another IC or portion of an IC (such as memory 61). In the
preferred embodiment, the memory 140 is included within the ACE
100, and preferably is comprised of computational elements which
are low power consumption random access memory (RAM), but also may
be comprised of computational elements of any other form of memory,
such as flash, DRAM, SRAM, MRAM, ROM, EPROM or E.sup.2PROM. As
mentioned, this memory functionality may also be distributed across
multiple matrices 150, and may be temporally embedded, at any given
time, as a particular MIN 110 configuration. In addition, in the
preferred embodiment, the memory 140 preferably includes direct
memory access (DMA) engines, not separately illustrated.
The controller 120 is preferably implemented, using matrices 150A
and 150B configured as adaptive finite state machines, as a reduced
instruction set ("RISC") processor, controller or other device or
IC capable of performing the two types of functionality discussed
below. (Alternatively, these functions may be implemented utilizing
a conventional RISC or other processor, such as a processing
element 65 of FIG. 3.) This control functionality may also be
distributed throughout one or more matrices 150 which perform
other, additional functions as well. In addition, this control
functionality may be included within and directly embodied as
configuration information, without separate hardware controller
functionality. The first control functionality, referred to as
"kernel" control, is illustrated as kernel controller ("KARC") of
matrix 150A, and the second control functionality, referred to as
"matrix" control, is illustrated as matrix controller ("MARC") of
matrix 150B. The kernel and matrix control functions of the
controller 120 are explained in greater detail below, with
reference to the configurability and reconfigurability of the
various matrices 150, and with reference to the preferred form of
combined data, configuration (and other control) information
referred to herein interchangeably as "silverware" or as a
"silverware" module, such as a module 70.
The matrix interconnection network 110 of FIG. 4, and its subset
interconnection networks separately illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6
(Boolean interconnection network 210, data interconnection network
240, and interconnect 220), collectively and generally referred to
herein as "interconnect", "interconnection(s)", "interconnection
network(s)" or MIN, may be implemented generally as known in the
art, such as utilizing field programmable gate array ("FPGA")
interconnection networks or switching fabrics, albeit in a
considerably more varied fashion. As used herein, "field
programmability" refers to the capability for post-fabrication
adding or changing of actual IC functionality, as opposed to
programming of existing IC structure or function (such as in a
microprocessor or DSP). In the preferred embodiment, the various
interconnection networks are implemented as described, for example,
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,240, U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,950, U.S. Pat. No.
5,245,227, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,166, and also as discussed below
and as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. These
various interconnection networks provide selectable (routable or
switchable) connections between and among the controller 120, the
memory 140, the various matrices 150, and the computational units
200 and computational elements 250 discussed below, providing the
physical basis for the configuration and reconfiguration referred
to herein, in response to and under the control of configuration
signaling generally referred to herein as "configuration
information" (and provided in modules 70). In addition, the various
interconnection networks (110, 210, 240 and 220) provide selectable
or switchable data, input, output, control and configuration paths,
between and among the controller 120, the memory 140, the various
matrices 150, and the computational units 200 and computational
elements 250, in lieu of any form of traditional or separate
input/output busses, data busses, DMA, RAM, configuration and
instruction busses.
It should be pointed out, however, that while any given switching
or selecting operation of or within the various interconnection
networks (110, 210, 240 and 220) may be implemented as known in the
art, the design and layout of the various interconnection networks
(110, 210, 240 and 220), in accordance with the present invention,
are new and novel, as discussed in greater detail below. For
example, varying levels of interconnection are provided to
correspond to the varying levels of the matrices 150, the
computational units 200, and the computational elements 250,
discussed below. At the matrix 150 level, in comparison with the
prior art FPGA interconnect, the matrix interconnection network 110
is considerably more limited and less "rich", with lesser
connection capability in a given area, to reduce capacitance and
increase speed of operation. Within a particular matrix 150 or
computational unit 200, however, the interconnection network (210,
220 and 240) may be considerably more dense and rich, to provide
greater adaptation and reconfiguration capability within a narrow
or close locality of reference.
The various matrices or nodes 150 are reconfigurable and
heterogeneous, namely, in general, and depending upon the desired
configuration: reconfigurable matrix 150A is generally different
from reconfigurable matrices 150B through 150N; reconfigurable
matrix 150B is generally different from reconfigurable matrices
150A and 150C through 150N; reconfigurable matrix 150C is generally
different from reconfigurable matrices 150A, 150B and 150D through
150N, and so on. The various reconfigurable matrices 150 each
generally contain a different or varied mix of adaptive and
reconfigurable computational (or computation) units (200); the
computational units 200, in turn, generally contain a different or
varied mix of fixed, application specific computational elements
(250), discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 4,
5 and 6, which may be adaptively connected, configured and
reconfigured in various ways to perform varied functions, through
the various interconnection networks. In addition to varied
internal configurations and reconfigurations, the various matrices
150 may be connected, configured and reconfigured at a higher
level, with respect to each of the other matrices 150, through the
matrix interconnection network 110, also as discussed in greater
detail below.
Several different, insightful and novel concepts are incorporated
within the ACE 100 architecture of the present invention, and
provide a useful explanatory basis for the real-time operation of
the ACE 100 and its inherent advantages.
The first novel concepts of the present invention concern the
adaptive and reconfigurable use of application specific, dedicated
or fixed hardware units (computational elements 250), and the
selection of particular functions for acceleration, to be included
within these application specific, dedicated or fixed hardware
units (computational elements 250) within the computational units
200 (FIG. 5) of the matrices 150, such as pluralities of
multipliers, complex multipliers, and adders, each of which are
designed for optimal execution of corresponding multiplication,
complex multiplication, and addition functions. Given that the ACE
100 is to be optimized, in the preferred embodiment, for low power
consumption, the functions for acceleration are selected based upon
power consumption. For example, for a given application such as
mobile communication, corresponding C (or C++) or other code may be
analyzed for power consumption. Such empirical analysis may reveal,
for example, that a small portion of such code, such as 10%,
actually consumes 90% of the operating power when executed. In
accordance with the present invention, on the basis of such power
utilization, this small portion of code is selected for
acceleration within certain types of the reconfigurable matrices
150, with the remaining code, for example, adapted to run within
matrices 150 configured as controller 120. Additional code may also
be selected for acceleration, resulting in an optimization of power
consumption by the ACE 100, up to any potential trade-off resulting
from design or operational complexity. In addition, as discussed
with respect to FIG. 5, other functionality, such as control code,
may be accelerated within matrices 150 when configured as finite
state machines. Through the varying levels of interconnect,
corresponding algorithms are then implemented, at any given time,
through the configuration and reconfiguration of fixed
computational elements (250), namely, implemented within hardware
which has been optimized and configured for efficiency, i.e., a
"machine" is configured in real-time which is optimized to perform
the particular algorithm.
The next and perhaps most significant concept of the present
invention, and a marked departure from the concepts and precepts of
the prior art, is the concept of reconfigurable "heterogeneity"
utilized to implement the various selected algorithms mentioned
above. As indicated in the related application, prior art
reconfigurability has relied exclusively on homogeneous FPGAs, in
which identical blocks of logic gates are repeated as an array
within a rich, programmable interconnect, with the interconnect
subsequently configured to provide connections between and among
the identical gates to implement a particular function, albeit
inefficiently and often with routing and combinatorial problems. In
stark contrast, in accordance with the present invention, within
computation units 200, different computational elements (250) are
implemented directly as correspondingly different fixed (or
dedicated) application specific hardware, such as dedicated
multipliers, complex multipliers, and adders. Utilizing
interconnect (210 and 220), these differing, heterogeneous
computational elements (250) may then be adaptively configured, in
advance, in real-time or perhaps at a slower rate, to perform the
selected algorithm, such as the performance of discrete cosine
transformations often utilized in mobile communications. As a
consequence, in accordance with the present invention, different
("heterogeneous") computational elements (250) are configured and
reconfigured, at any given time, to optimally perform a given
algorithm or other function. In addition, for repetitive functions,
a given instantiation or configuration of computational elements
may also remain in place over time, i.e., unchanged, throughout the
course of such repetitive calculations. Such temporal stability of
a given configuration may be indicated in a module 70, for example,
through a loop field (discussed above), or simply left in place by
not providing another (competing) configuration of the same
computational elements.
The temporal nature of the ACE 100 architecture should also be
noted. At any given instant of time, utilizing different levels of
interconnect (110, 210, 240 and 220), a particular configuration
may exist within the ACE 100 which has been optimized to perform a
given function or implement a particular algorithm, such as to
implement pilot signal searching for a CDMA operating mode in a
mobile station 30 or 32. At another instant in time, the
configuration may be changed, to interconnect other computational
elements (250) or connect the same computational elements 250
differently, for the performance of another function or algorithm,
such as multipath reception for a CDMA operating mode. Two
important features arise from this temporal reconfigurability.
First, as algorithms may change over time to, for example,
implement a new technology standard, the ACE 100 may co-evolve and
be reconfigured to implement the new algorithm. Second, because
computational elements are interconnected at one instant in time,
as an instantiation of a given algorithm, and then reconfigured at
another instant in time for performance of another, different
algorithm, gate (or transistor) utilization is maximized, providing
significantly better performance than the most efficient ASICs
relative to their activity factors. This temporal reconfigurability
also illustrates the memory functionality inherent in the MIN 110,
as mentioned above.
This temporal reconfigurability of computational elements 250, for
the performance of various different algorithms, also illustrates a
conceptual distinction utilized herein between configuration and
reconfiguration, on the one hand, and programming or
reprogrammability, on the other hand. Typical programmability
utilizes a pre-existing group or set of functions, which may be
called in various orders, over time, to implement a particular
algorithm. In contrast, configurability and reconfigurability, as
used herein, includes the additional capability of adding or
creating new functions which were previously unavailable or
non-existent.
Next, the present invention also utilizes a tight coupling (or
interdigitation) of data and configuration (or other control)
information, within a plurality of packets or within one,
effectively continuous stream of information. This coupling or
commingling of data and configuration information, referred to as
"silverware" or as a "silverware" module, is illustrated in FIG. 1.
This coupling of data and configuration information into one
information (or bit) stream, which may be continuous or divided
into packets, helps to enable real-time reconfigurability of the
ACE 100, without a need for the (often unused) multiple, overlaying
networks of hardware interconnections of the prior art. For
example, as an analogy, a particular, first configuration of
computational elements 250 at a particular, first period of time,
as the hardware to execute a corresponding algorithm during or
after that first period of time, may be viewed or conceptualized as
a hardware analog of "calling" a subroutine in software which may
perform the same algorithm. As a consequence, once the
configuration of the computational elements 250 has occurred (i.e.,
is in place), as directed by (a first subset of) the configuration
information, the data for use in the algorithm is immediately
available as part of the silverware module. Referring to FIG. 1,
this is illustrated by "calling" various configurations (through
references or flags in fields 80 and 81, for example, for
configurations "A" and "B"), closely followed by providing the data
for use in these configurations (fields 83 and 84 for configuration
"A", fields 86 and 87 for configuration "B"). The same
computational elements 250 may then be reconfigured for a second
period of time, as directed by second configuration information
(i.e., a second subset of configuration information), for execution
of a second, different algorithm, also utilizing immediately
available data. The immediacy of the data, for use in the
configured computational elements 250, provides a one or two clock
cycle hardware analog to the multiple and separate software steps
of determining a memory address and fetching stored data from the
addressed registers. This has the further result of additional
efficiency, as the configured computational elements 250 may
execute, in comparatively few clock cycles, an algorithm which may
require orders of magnitude more clock cycles for execution if
called as a subroutine in a conventional microprocessor or digital
signal processor ("DSP").
This use of silverware modules, such as module 70, as a commingling
of data and configuration information, in conjunction with the
reconfigurability of a plurality of heterogeneous and fixed
computational elements 250 to form adaptive, different and
heterogeneous computation units 200 and matrices 150, enables the
ACE 100 architecture to have multiple and different modes of
operation. For example, when included within a hand-held device,
given a corresponding silverware module, the ACE 100 may have
various and different operating modes as a cellular or other mobile
telephone, a music player, a pager, a personal digital assistant,
and other new or existing functionalities. In addition, these
operating modes may change based upon the physical location of the
device. For example, in accordance with the present invention,
while configured for a first operating mode, using a first set of
configuration information, as a CDMA mobile telephone for use in
the United States, the ACE 100 may be reconfigured using a second
set of configuration information for an operating mode as a GSM
mobile telephone for use in Europe.
Referring again to FIG. 4, the functions of the controller 120
(preferably matrix (KARC) 150A and matrix (MARC) 150B, configured
as finite state machines) may be explained with reference to a
silverware module, namely, the tight coupling of data and
configuration information within a single stream of information,
with reference to multiple potential modes of operation, with
reference to the reconfigurable matrices 150, and with reference to
the reconfigurable computation units 200 and the computational
elements 250 illustrated in FIG. 5. As indicated above, through a
silverware module, the ACE 100 may be configured or reconfigured to
perform a new or additional function, such as an upgrade to a new
technology standard or the addition of an entirely new function,
such as the addition of a music function to a mobile communication
device. Such a silverware module may be stored in the matrices 150
of memory 140, or may be input from an external (wired or wireless)
source through, for example, matrix interconnection network 110. In
the preferred embodiment, one of the plurality of matrices 150 is
configured to decrypt such a module and verify its validity, for
security purposes. Next, prior to any configuration or
reconfiguration of existing ACE 100 resources, the controller 120,
through the matrix (KARC) 150A, checks and verifies that the
configuration or reconfiguration may occur without adversely
affecting any pre-existing functionality, such as whether the
addition of music functionality would adversely affect pre-existing
mobile communications functionality. In the preferred embodiment,
the system requirements for such configuration or reconfiguration
are included within the silverware module or configuration
information, for use by the matrix (KARC) 150A in performing this
evaluative function. If the configuration or reconfiguration may
occur without such adverse affects, the silverware module is
allowed to load into the matrices 150 (of memory 140), with the
matrix (KARC) 150A setting up the DMA engines within the matrices
150C and 150D of the memory 140 (or other stand-alone DMA engines
of a conventional memory). If the configuration or reconfiguration
would or may have such adverse affects, the matrix (KARC) 150A does
not allow the new module to be incorporated within the ACE 100.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 4, the matrix (MARC) 150B manages the
scheduling of matrix 150 resources, clocking and the timing of any
corresponding data, to synchronize any configuration or
reconfiguration of the various computational elements 250 and
computation units 200 with any corresponding input data and output
data. In the preferred embodiment, timing or other clocking
information is also included within a silverware module, to allow
the matrix (MARC) 150B through the various interconnection networks
to direct a reconfiguration of the various matrices 150 in time,
and preferably just in time, for the reconfiguration to occur
before corresponding data has appeared at any inputs of the various
reconfigured computation units 200. In addition, the matrix (MARC)
150B may also perform any residual processing which has not been
accelerated within any of the various matrices 150.
This timing information may be embodied, for example, as the
references or flags in fields 80, 81, 85, and 89 as illustrated in
module 70 of FIG. 1, to "call" the various configurations prior to
the arrival of corresponding data (fields 84, 87, 91, 93, 95 and
97). In other circumstances, such as when configuration information
has been provided to an ACE 100 in advance of and separately from
user data, such as in mobile communications, this information may
be injected or inserted into a user data stream for example, when
transmitted or downloaded, to "call" appropriate configurations in
advance of the reception of corresponding user data. In other
circumstances, the matrix (MARC) 150B may itself insert these
configuration references or flags, in real-time, into the data
stream that is being processed by the various other matrices 150,
to "call" and configure the appropriate computational elements 250.
In addition, the matrix (MARC) 150B may also provide and insert the
configuration and data routing information, for self-routing of the
configuration information and the user data within the various
matrices 150 (illustrated as fields 72, 74, 76, 78, 83, 86, 88, 90,
92, 94, and 96 in FIG. 1), may provide and insert the power control
fields (field 82) (to independently providing clocking (on or off)
to any computational elements of the IC) and the other fields to
create a module 70, such as fields 98 and 99 for information types
and loop instructions. As a consequence, when an ACE 100 has not
been provided with a module 70 directly, but has been provided with
configuration information separately from user data, the matrix
(MARC) 150B effectively creates such a module 70 for use in
configuring the other matrices 150 to create the appropriate
operating mode and use or operate upon the user data (incoming and
outgoing).
As a consequence, the matrix (MARC) 150B may be viewed as a control
unit which "calls" the configurations and reconfigurations of the
matrices 150, computation units 200 and computational elements 250,
in real-time, in synchronization or coordination with any
corresponding data to be utilized by these various reconfigurable
hardware units, and which performs any residual or other control
processing. Other matrices 150 may also include this control
functionality, with any given matrix 150 capable of calling and
controlling a configuration and reconfiguration of other matrices
150.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, a
reconfigurable matrix 150 with a plurality of computation units 200
(illustrated as computation units 200A through 200N), and a
plurality of computational elements 250 (illustrated as
computational elements 250A through 250Z), and provides additional
illustration of the preferred types of computational elements 250.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, any matrix 150 generally includes a
matrix controller 230, a plurality of computation (or
computational) units 200, and as logical or conceptual subsets or
portions of the matrix interconnect network 110, a data
interconnect network 240 and a Boolean interconnect network 210. As
mentioned above, in the preferred embodiment, at increasing
"depths" within the ACE 100 architecture, the interconnect networks
become increasingly rich, for greater levels of adaptability and
reconfiguration. The Boolean interconnect network 210, also as
mentioned above, provides the reconfiguration and data
interconnection capability between and among the various
computation units 200, and is preferably small (i.e., only a few
bits wide), while the data interconnect network 240 provides the
reconfiguration and data interconnection capability for data input
and output between and among the various computation units 200, and
is preferably comparatively large (i.e., many bits wide). It should
be noted, however, that while conceptually divided into
reconfiguration and data capabilities, any given physical portion
of the matrix interconnection network 110, at any given time, may
be operating as either the Boolean interconnect network 210, the
data interconnect network 240, the lowest level interconnect 220
(between and among the various computational elements 250), or
other input, output, or connection functionality.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 5, included within a computation unit
200 are a plurality of computational elements 250, illustrated as
computational elements 250A through 250Z (individually and
collectively referred to as computational elements 250), and
additional interconnect 220. The interconnect 220 provides the
reconfigurable interconnection capability and input/output paths
between and among the various computational elements 250. As
indicated above, each of the various computational elements 250
consist of dedicated, application specific hardware designed to
perform a given task or range of tasks, resulting in a plurality of
different, fixed computational elements 250. Utilizing the
interconnect 220, the fixed computational elements 250 may be
reconfigurably connected together into adaptive and varied
computational units 200, which also may be further reconfigured and
interconnected, to execute an algorithm or other function, at any
given time, utilizing the interconnect 220, the Boolean network
210, and the matrix interconnection network 110.
In the preferred embodiment, the various computational elements 250
are designed and grouped together, into the various adaptive and
reconfigurable computation units 200 (as illustrated, for example,
in FIGS. 6 through 10). In addition to computational elements 250
which are designed to execute a particular algorithm or function,
such as multiplication, correlation, or addition, other types of
computational elements 250 are also utilized in the preferred
embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 5, computational elements 250A
and 250B implement memory, to provide local memory elements for any
given calculation or processing function (compared to the more
"remote" memory 140). In addition, computational elements 250I,
250J, 250K and 250L are configured to implement finite state
machines (using, for example, the computational elements
illustrated in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10), to provide local processing
capability (compared to the more "remote" matrix (MARC) 150B),
especially suitable for complicated control processing.
With the various types of different computational elements 250
which may be available, depending upon the desired functionality of
the ACE 100, the computation units 200 may be loosely categorized.
A first category of computation units 200 includes computational
elements 250 performing linear operations, such as multiplication,
addition, finite impulse response filtering, and so on (as
illustrated below, for example, with reference to FIG. 7). A second
category of computation units 200 includes computational elements
250 performing non-linear operations, such as discrete cosine
transformation, trigonometric calculations, and complex
multiplications. A third type of computation unit 200 implements a
finite state machine, such as computation unit 200C as illustrated
in FIG. 5 and as illustrated in greater detail below with respect
to FIGS. 8 through 10), particularly useful for complicated control
sequences, dynamic scheduling, and input/output management, while a
fourth type may implement memory and memory management, such as
computation unit 200A as illustrated in FIG. 5. Lastly, a fifth
type of computation unit 200 may be included to perform bit-level
manipulation, such as for encryption, decryption, channel coding,
Viterbi decoding, packet and protocol processing (such as Internet
Protocol processing), and other types of processing and
functions.
In the preferred embodiment, in addition to control from other
matrices or nodes 150, a matrix controller 230 may also be included
or distributed within any given matrix 150, also to provide greater
locality of reference and control of any reconfiguration processes
and any corresponding data manipulations. For example, once a
reconfiguration of computational elements 250 has occurred within
any given computation unit 200, the matrix controller 230 may
direct that that particular instantiation (or configuration) remain
intact for a certain period of time to, for example, continue
repetitive data processing for a given application.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, an
exemplary or representative computation unit 200 of a
reconfigurable matrix 150 in accordance with the present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, a computation unit 200 typically includes
a plurality of diverse, heterogeneous and fixed computational
elements 250, such as a plurality of memory computational elements
250A and 250B, and forming a computational unit ("CU") core 260, a
plurality of algorithmic or finite state machine computational
elements 250C through 250K. As discussed above, each computational
element 250, of the plurality of diverse computational elements
250, is a fixed or dedicated, application specific circuit,
designed and having a corresponding logic gate layout to perform a
specific function or algorithm, such as addition or multiplication.
In addition, the various memory computational elements 250A and
250B may be implemented with various bit depths, such as RAM
(having significant depth), or as a register, having a depth of 1
or 2 bits.
Forming the conceptual data and Boolean interconnect networks 240
and 210, respectively, the exemplary computation unit 200 also
includes a plurality of input multiplexers 280, a plurality of
input lines (or wires) 281, and for the output of the CU core 260
(illustrated as line or wire 270), a plurality of output
demultiplexers 285 and 290, and a plurality of output lines (or
wires) 291. Through the input multiplexers 280, an appropriate
input line 281 may be selected for input use in data transformation
and in the configuration and interconnection processes, and through
the output demultiplexers 285 and 290, an output or multiple
outputs may be placed on a selected output line 291, also for use
in additional data transformation and in the configuration and
interconnection processes.
In the preferred embodiment, the selection of various input and
output lines 281 and 291, and the creation of various connections
through the interconnect (210, 220 and 240), is under control of
control bits 265 from a computational unit controller 255, as
discussed below. Based upon these control bits 265, any of the
various input enables 251, input selects 252, output selects 253,
MUX selects 254, DEMUX enables 256, DEMUX selects 257, and DEMUX
output selects 258, may be activated or deactivated.
The exemplary computation unit 200 includes the computational unit
controller 255 which provides control, through control bits 265,
over what each computational element 250, interconnect (210, 220
and 240), and other elements (above) does with every clock cycle.
Not separately illustrated, through the interconnect (210, 220 and
240), the various control bits 265 are distributed, as may be
needed, to the various portions of the computation unit 200, such
as the various input enables 251, input selects 252, output selects
253, MUX selects 254, DEMUX enables 256, DEMUX selects 257, and
DEMUX output selects 258. The CU controller 295 also includes one
or more lines 295 for reception of control (or configuration)
information and transmission of status information.
As mentioned above, the interconnect may include a conceptual
division into a data interconnect network 240 and a Boolean
interconnect network 210, of varying bit widths, as mentioned
above. In general, the (wider) data interconnection network 240 is
utilized for creating configurable and reconfigurable connections,
for corresponding routing of data and configuration information.
The (narrower) Boolean interconnect network 210, while also
utilized for creating configurable and reconfigurable connections,
is utilized for control of logic (or Boolean) decisions of data
flow graphs (DFGs), generating decision nodes in such DFGs, and may
also be used for data routing within such DFGs.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, an exemplary,
preferred multi-function adaptive computational unit 500 having a
plurality of different, fixed computational elements, in accordance
with the present invention. When configured accordingly, the
adaptive computation unit 500 performs a wide variety of functions
discussed in the related application, such as finite impulse
response filtering, fast Fourier transformation, and other
functions such as discrete cosine transformation, useful for
communication operating modes. As illustrated, this multi-function
adaptive computational unit 500 includes capability for a plurality
of configurations of a plurality of fixed computational elements,
including input memory 520, data memory 525, registers 530
(illustrated as registers 530A through 530Q), multipliers 540
(illustrated as multipliers 540A through 540D), adder 545, first
arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 550 (illustrated as ALU_1s 550A through
550D), second arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 555 (illustrated as
ALU_2s 555A through 555D), and pipeline (length 1) register 560,
with inputs 505, lines 515, outputs 570, and multiplexers (MUXes or
MXes) 510 (illustrates as MUXes and MXes 510A through 510KK)
forming an interconnection network (210, 220 and 240). The two
different ALUs 550 and 555 are preferably utilized, for example,
for parallel addition and subtraction operations, particularly
useful for radix 2 operations in discrete cosine
transformation.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a preferred
adaptive logic processor (ALP) computational unit 600 having a
plurality of fixed computational elements, in accordance with the
present invention. The ALP 600 is highly adaptable, and is
preferably utilized for input/output configuration, finite state
machine implementation, general field programmability, and bit
manipulation. The fixed computational element of ALP 600 is a
portion (650) of each of the plurality of adaptive core cells (CCs)
610 (FIG. 9), as separately illustrated in FIG. 10. An
interconnection network (210, 220 and 240) is formed from various
combinations and permutations of the pluralities of vertical inputs
(VIs) 615, vertical repeaters (VRs) 620, vertical outputs (VOs)
625, horizontal repeaters (HRs) 630, horizontal terminators (HTs)
635, and horizontal controllers (HCs) 640.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, a
preferred core cell 610 of an adaptive logic processor
computational unit 600 with a fixed computational element 650, in
accordance with the present invention. The fixed computational
element is a 3-input-2-output function generator 550, separately
illustrated in FIG. 10. The preferred core cell 610 also includes
control logic 655, control inputs 665, control outputs 670
(providing output interconnect), output 675, and inputs (with
interconnect muxes) 660 (providing input interconnect).
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating, in greater detail, a
preferred fixed computational element 650 of a core cell 610 of an
adaptive logic processor computational unit 600, in accordance with
the present invention. The fixed computational element 650 is
comprised of a fixed layout of pluralities of exclusive NOR (XNOR)
gates 680, NOR gates 685, NAND gates 690, and exclusive OR (XOR)
gates 695, with three inputs 720 and two outputs 710. Configuration
and interconnection is provided through MUX 705 and interconnect
inputs 730.
As may be apparent from the discussion above, this use of a
plurality of fixed, heterogeneous computational elements (250),
which may be configured and reconfigured to form heterogeneous
computation units (200), which further may be configured and
reconfigured to form heterogeneous matrices 150, through the
varying levels of interconnect (110, 210, 240 and 220), creates an
entirely new class or category of integrated circuit, which may be
referred to interchangeably as an adaptive computing architecture
or adaptive computing engine. It should be noted that the adaptive
computing architecture of the present invention cannot be
adequately characterized, from a conceptual or from a nomenclature
point of view, within the rubric or categories of FPGAs, ASICs or
processors. For example, the non-FPGA character of the adaptive
computing architecture is immediately apparent because the adaptive
computing architecture does not comprise either an array of
identical logical units, or more simply, a repeating array of any
kind. Also for example, the non-ASIC character of the adaptive
computing architecture is immediately apparent because the adaptive
computing architecture is not application specific, but provides
multiple modes of functionality and is reconfigurable, preferably
in real-time. Continuing with the example, the non-processor
character of the adaptive computing architecture is immediately
apparent because the adaptive computing architecture becomes
configured, to directly operate upon data, rather than focusing
upon executing instructions with data manipulation occurring as a
byproduct.
Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the various systems and
methodology of the present invention may now be viewed in context
of the ACE 100 architecture, based upon configuration and/or
reconfiguration of fixed computational elements 250 in response to
one or more sets of configuration information. Without the
"something more" of configuration information, an ACE 100 is
essentially or effectively an empty or "blank" device.
Configuration information is necessary to generate the
configurations creating one or more operating modes for the ACE
100, in order to provide a desired functionality and operate upon
corresponding data, such as wireless communication, radio
reception, or MP3 music playing.
Such configuration and reconfiguration may occur in a wide variety
of ways. For example, an entire ACE 100 may be configured in
advance of any particular use, such as pre-configured as a mobile
communication device. In other embodiments, an ACE 100 may be
configured to have an operating system, to power on (boot), and
obtain and load other configurations for particular operating modes
and functions, such as through a network 40. An ACE 100 may also be
partially configured, with some matrices 150 configured and
operating, while other matrices 150 are being configured for other
functions.
Such an operating system in the ACE 100 may provide for a variety
of automatic functions. For example, such an OS may provide for
auto-routing, inserting routing fields and routing information,
with configuration information, into data streams, to internally
create a silverware module. Operating systems may also provide
means to self-configure or self-modify, for example, using neural
network and other self-learning technologies. Other operating
system functions include authorization, security, hardware
capability determinations, and other functions, as discussed
below.
As mentioned above, such configuration information may be
interleaved with data to form silverware (or a silverware module),
such as executable module 70. In addition, such configuration
information may also be separate from any data (effectively
distributing a module 70 across time). For example, a first set of
configuration information may be provided to an ACE 100 for a first
operating mode, such as for mobile communications. Data may be
subsequently provided separately, such as voice data, during any
given communication session. The various controller 120 functions
of the ACE 100 then interleave the appropriate subsets of
configuration information with corresponding data, routing,
configuration references, loop instructions, and power control, to
provide silverware modules to the matrices 150. As mentioned above,
such controller functions may be distributed within the various
matrices 150, or may be embedded within the configuration
information itself.
Referring to FIG. 2, an ACE 100 may obtain configuration
information or entire silverware modules (70) from a plurality of
sources. As illustrated in FIG. 2, configuration information or one
or more complete modules 70 may be provided to an ACE 100 through a
download, from a server 54, WAN 42, LAN 41, or adjunct network
entity 50, via a network 40 (with any applicable intervening
switches 56 and 52 and base stations 25) or via a router 53, for
example. The download may be either wireline (e.g. twisted pair,
optical fiber, coaxial cable, hybrid fiber-coax) or wireless, such
as through a transceiver of a base station 25 or satellite (not
illustrated) or wireless LAN 43. The configuration information or
one or more complete modules 70 may also be provided to an ACE 100
through other media, such as a flash memory 10, a silverware
storage medium 15, a computer or other machine-readable medium 20,
PCMCIA cards, PDA modules, or other memory cards, for example. This
configuration information or one or more complete modules 70, in
the preferred ACE 100 embodiment, is stored in memory 140,
distributed memory within the various matrices 150, or in the
system 60 (SOC) embodiment, may also be stored in memory 61.
Configuration information may also simply be stored as an actual
configuration of the matrices 150, with the MIN 110 effectively
functioning as memory. The configuration information may also be
transient, distributed and received in real-time for a particular
application or for a singular use. Other equivalent provisioning
and storage means will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
(An ACE 100 receiving configuration information or one or more
complete modules 70, through a download or other medium, is
generally referred to herein as a "receiving" ACE.)
In addition, a need or request for such configuration information
may also arise from a plurality of sources, including a system
user, an element of infrastructure, an ACE 100, another device
including an ACE 100, or an independent device. For example, a
system user may request a download of new configuration information
to upgrade a device to a new standard, or may purchase a memory
module (such as flash 10 or silverware storage medium 15)
containing new configuration information or one or more complete
modules 70 for playing additional, copyrighted MP3 music.
Infrastructure elements may also initiate downloads of new
configurations, either transmitted to an individual ACE 100 device
(a single user, with a one-to-one (1:1) correspondence of provider
and receiver) or broadcast to many ACE 100 devices (multiple users,
with a one-to-many (1:many) correspondence of provider and
receivers), to provide system upgrades, to adapt to new standards,
or to provide other, real-time performance enhancements.
Another novel element of the present invention concerns a
configuration or reconfiguration request generated by an ACE 100
itself (or another device including an ACE 100) providing, among
other things, mechanisms for self-modification and
self-configuration. For example, an ACE 100 (in a mobile station 30
or 32) typically having a first, CDMA configuration for use in the
United States may be powered on in Europe; in the absence of
standard CDMA signaling, the ACE 100 may request a wireless
download of a second set of configuration information applicable to
its current location, enabling the ACE 100 to have a GSM
configuration for use in Europe.
As indicated above, configuration information is generally plural,
consisting of a plurality of subsets of configuration information,
such as first configuration information, second configuration
information, through n.sup.th configuration information. One "set"
of configuration information may be considered to correspond to a
particular operating mode of the ACE 100. For example, a first set
of configuration information may provide a CDMA operating mode,
while a second set of configuration information may provide a GSM
operating mode.
Also as indicated above, for a given or selected higher-level
operating mode of an ACE 100 (or, equivalently, for a given or
selected set of configuration information), the various fixed,
heterogeneous computational elements 250 are correspondingly
configured and reconfigured for various lower-level or lower-order
functional modes in response to the subsets of the configuration
information, such as configuration for discrete cosine
transformation in response to first configuration information and
reconfiguration for fast Fourier transformation in response to
second configuration information.
The configuration information may also have different forms. In one
embodiment, configuration information may include one or more
discrete packets of binary information, which may be stored in
memory 140, distributively stored within the matrices 150, or
directly stored as a configuration of MIN 110. Configuration
information may also be embodied in a continuous form, such as a
continuous stream of binary or other information. As directed,
configuration and other control bits from the configuration
information are interdigitated with data to form silverware
modules, for use in real-time within an ACE 100. In another
embodiment, configuration information may be provided in real-time
with corresponding data, in the form of a continuous stream
(continuous for the duration of the selected function). For
example, configuration information for a MP3 player may be provided
in real-time in a silverware stream with the data bit file for the
music to be played.
Two additional features are utilized to provide this capability for
an ACE 100 to be safely and effectively configured and/or
reconfigured in response to configuration information. First, a
concept of "unit hardware", a parameter for or measurement of ACE
100 resources or capability, is utilized to gauge the capacity for
a given ACE 100 to take on a new configuration and perform the new
functionality, either in light of maintaining current
configurations and functions and providing performance at
sufficient or adequate levels, or in light of replacing current
configurations and functions altogether. For example, a first
generation ACE 100 may have sufficient resources, measured as unit
hardware, to configure as a CDMA mobile station and simultaneously
as a personal digital assistant. An attempt to load a new
configuration, for example, for an MP3 player, may be inadvisable
due to insufficient system resources, such that the new
configuration would cause CDMA performance to degrade below
acceptable levels. Conversely, a first generation ACE 100 initially
configured as a PDA may have sufficient remaining resources to load
the new configuration, as greater performance degradation may be
allowable for these applications. Continuing with the example, a
second or third generation ACE 100 may have sufficient
computational element, interconnect and other ACE 100 resources to
support not only its currently existing configurations, but also
such new configurations (with corresponding additional
functionality), such as maintaining existing CDMA configurations
while simultaneously having sufficient resources for additional GSM
and MP3 configurations.
Related to this concept of unit hardware to measure reconfiguration
capacity is the concept of multiple versions or libraries of
configuration information or one or more complete modules 70 for
the addition of new functionalities. Such multiple versions or
libraries of configuration information or modules 70 are tailored
to correspond to potentially differing capabilities of ACE 100
devices, particularly for application to the then current ACE
architectures compared to legacy architectures. Such forward
"binary compatibility" will allow a module 70, designed for a
current ACE 100, to operate on any newer, future ACE. For example,
a suite of different sets of configuration information may be
developed to provide a particular operating mode, with differences
pertaining to matters such as performance quality and the number
and types of features. Each of the various sets or versions of the
configuration information are generated to have system requirements
corresponding to the available and varying levels of ACE 100
reconfiguration capacity. Such libraries of configuration
information, having requirements levels corresponding to levels of
"unit hardware", may be generated in advance of a requested
download or other provision, or may be generated as needed, on a
real-time basis, tailored to the particular configuration capacity
of the receiving ACE 100. For example, corresponding, tailored
configuration information downloads may be determined in real-time,
based upon a negotiation or interactivity between the ACE 100 and
the configuration provider, generating and providing configuration
information suitable for a negotiated or predetermined level of
performance for a given operating mode.
Also for example, configuration information for a particular
operating mode may be available only with one version having
predetermined system requirements. In that event, if the particular
ACE 100 does not have the corresponding capacity to meet those
requirements, the ACE 100 itself may reject or decline such a
potential download.
As a consequence, prior to a configuration (and/or reconfiguration)
of a particular ACE architecture for a particular operating mode,
the capabilities of that ACE 100 are determined, to avoid a
download or reception of a configuration which potentially may
alter or harm pre-existing operating modes or other functionalities
of the device, or to provide a more suitable download tailored for
the capabilities of the particular ACE 100.
The nature of the malleable ACE 100 architecture, with different
physical connections created or removed in response to
configuration information, renders security for configuration and
reconfiguration of paramount importance. Given that such
configurations are capable of altering the operating mode of the
ACE architecture, in the preferred method, system and apparatus
embodiments, authorization and security measures are implemented to
avoid potentially destructive or harmful configurations, such as
due to viruses or other unwanted, rogue configuration information.
In the preferred module 70 embodiment, such security information is
included within the header field 71.
Several levels of security may be implemented to control the
configurability and reconfigurability of an ACE 100. A first level
of security is implemented at a level of authorization to request
or receive configuration information. For example, an ACE 100 may
have a unique identifier or digital signature transmitted to a
server 54 during a "handshake" or other initial exchange of
information (such as unit hardware information) prior to a download
of configuration information. The server 54 may access a database
of authorized recipients, and if the particular ACE 100 is
included, the server 54 will authorize the download. Such
authorization measures are important for the protection of
intellectual property, such as copyrighted material, and other
information which may be confidential or otherwise restricted.
Another level of security may be implemented to protect against the
possible download of rogue, virus or corrupted configuration
information, utilizing various encryption and decryption
technologies, for example.
Various forms of monitoring, tracking and other record keeping are
also utilized for determining and accounting for the various
configuration and content usage possibilities, and may involve
numerous different network entities. For example, a particular
download of a module 70 or other configuration information may be
generated from more than one network entity, with one transaction
for a particular download of a module 70 or other configuration
information also distributed across more than one network entity.
Continuing with the example, a request for a download of a module
70 (or other configuration information or silverware) may be
received at a base station 25 of a wireless service provider "A".
To fulfill the request, the wireless service provider "A"
determines the authorization status of the requesting ACE 100 and
when authorized, forwards the request to another provider, such as
content provider "B", which provides requested data, such as a
music bit file, using a content server 54. Also in response to the
request from provider "A", a set of MP3 configuration information
is simultaneously provided by configuration provider "C", using a
second, different server 54 under its control, such as a
configuration information server. The content (data) and
configuration information are provided to silverware module
provider "D", who in turn interleaves the data and configuration to
form a silverware module 70, using a first adjunct network entity
50 having a silverware module application node 51. Next, an
encryption provider "E" encrypts the silverware module, using a
second adjunct network entity 50 having an encryption application
node 51, providing the encrypted silverware module to the service
provider "A" for transmission to the requesting ACE 100.
Corresponding accounting and other records may be generated for
each such distributed transaction, with corresponding distributions
of royalties, use and license fees. Content usage may also be
tracked by, for example, a content server.
The generation and provision of configuration information may also
be distributed across time, in addition to distributed across
space, with the various functions referred to above performed
during different intervals of time. For example, one or more
versions or sets of configuration information may be generated and
stored during a first predetermined period of time, such as in
advance of any particular use. Subsequently, such a set of
configuration information may be provided during a second
predetermined period of time, such as following a security and
financial authorization process.
In summary, the present invention provides a method of
configuration and operation or an adaptive and reconfigurable
circuit, preferably utilizing an executable module comprised of a
plurality of information sequences. A first information sequence
(or field) provides configuration control, which may be either
configuration information or a reference (such as a flag or other
designation) to corresponding configuration information cached or
stored in memory. A second information sequence provides operand
data for use by configured computational elements. A third
information sequence provides routing control, to direct the other
information sequences to their appropriate locations within the
matrix environment of the ACE integrated circuitry. Also in the
preferred embodiment a fourth information sequence is utilized to
provide power control, to clock on or off various computational
elements, and a fifth information sequence may be utilized for loop
or iteration control.
Also in summary, one of the preferred system embodiments provides,
first, means for routing configuration information to a plurality
of computational elements; second, means for configuring and
reconfiguring a plurality of computational elements to form a
plurality of configured computational elements for the performance
of a plurality of selected functions; third, means for providing
operand data to the plurality of configured computational elements;
and fourth, means for controlling configuration timing to precede a
receipt of corresponding operand data.
Another preferred system embodiment provides, first, means for
spatially configuring and reconfiguring a plurality of
computational elements to form a first plurality of configured
computational elements for the performance of a first plurality of
selected functions; second, means for temporally configuring and
reconfiguring the plurality of computational elements to form a
second plurality of configured computational elements for the
performance of a second plurality of selected functions; third,
means for providing data to the first and second pluralities of
configured computational elements; and fourth, means for
coordinating the spatial and temporal configurations of the
plurality of computational elements with the provision of the data
to the first and second pluralities of configured computational
elements.
Also in summary, one of the system embodiments provides for
configuring and operating an adaptive circuit. The system comprises
a first routable and executable information module, the module
having first configuration information and second configuration
information, the module further having first operand data and
second operand data, the module further having a first routing
sequence for routing; a plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements, the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements
designated by the first routing sequence of the first executable
information module, a first computational element of the plurality
of heterogeneous computational elements having a first fixed
architecture and a second computational element of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements having a second fixed
architecture, the first fixed architecture being different than the
second fixed architecture; and an interconnection network coupled
to the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements, the
interconnection network capable of selectively providing the module
to the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements, the
interconnection network further capable of configuring and
providing the first operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for a first functional mode of a plurality
of functional modes in response to the first configuration
information, and the interconnection network further capable of
reconfiguring and providing the second operand data to the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a second
functional mode of the plurality of functional modes in response to
the second configuration information, the first functional mode
being different than the second functional mode.
The first routable and executable information module may provide a
first system operating mode. A second routable and executable
information module may provide a second system operating mode, and
further having the first routing sequence for routing to the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements. The plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements may be configured to generate
a request for a second routable and executable information module,
the second routable and executable information module providing a
second system operating mode.
The system may further include a memory coupled to the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements and to the interconnection
network, the memory capable of storing the first configuration
information and the second configuration information. In addition,
the first configuration information and the second configuration
information may be stored in a second plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements configured for a memory functional mode,
stored as a configuration of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements, stored in a machine-readable medium,
transmitted through an air interface, or transmitted through a
wireline interface. The first routable and executable information
module may be embodied as a plurality of discrete information data
packets, or embodied as a stream of information data bits.
The first fixed architecture and the second fixed architecture may
be selected from a plurality of specific architectures, with the
plurality of specific architectures comprising at least two of the
following corresponding functions: memory, addition,
multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction, configuration,
reconfiguration, routing, control, input, output, and field
programmability. The plurality of functional modes may comprise at
least two of the following functional modes: linear algorithmic
operations, non-linear algorithmic operations, finite state machine
operations, controller operations, memory operations, and bit-level
manipulations.
The system may also include a controller coupled to the plurality
of heterogeneous computational elements and to the interconnection
network, with the controller capable of coordinating the
configuration of the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for the first functional mode with the first operand data
and further coordinating the reconfiguration of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements for the second functional mode
with the second operand data. The system may also include a second
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to the
interconnection network, with the second plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements configured for a controller operating mode,
the second plurality of heterogeneous computational elements
capable of coordinating the configuration of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements for the first functional mode
with the first operand data and further coordinating the
reconfiguration of the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for the second functional mode with the second operand
data.
The system may be embodied within a mobile station having a
plurality of operating modes, such as a mobile telecommunication
mode, a personal digital assistance mode, a multimedia reception
mode, a mobile packet-based communication mode, and a paging mode.
The system may be embodied within a server having a plurality of
operating modes, within an adjunct network entity having a
plurality of operating modes, or within an integrated circuit.
In various embodiments, the first routing sequence may be coupled
to the first configuration information to provide routing of the
first configuration information within the interconnection network,
and the first routable and executable information module further
may further comprise a second routing sequence coupled to the
second configuration information to provide selective routing of
the second configuration information within the interconnection
network to the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements,
the second routing sequence being identical to the first routing
sequence. The first executable information module may also include
a power control sequence to direct the interconnection network to
not provide a clock signal to a selected heterogeneous
computational element of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements, and/or an iteration control sequence to
direct a temporal continuation of a selected configuration of the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements. The first
configuration information may be a reference to a previously stored
configuration sequence.
In addition, a first portion of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements may be operating in the first functional
mode while a second portion of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements are being configured for the second
functional mode.
Also in summary, the present invention provides a routable and
executable information module for operating an adaptive system, the
adaptive system including a plurality of computational elements
having a corresponding plurality of fixed and differing
architectures, with the adaptive system further including an
interconnect network responsive to configure the plurality of
computational elements for a plurality of operating modes. The
module comprises a plurality of information sequences; wherein a
first information sequence of the plurality of information
sequences provides a first configuration sequence to direct a first
configuration of the plurality of computational elements; wherein a
second information sequence of the plurality of information
sequences provides first operand data to the first configuration of
the plurality of computational elements; and wherein a third
information sequence of the plurality of information sequences
provides routing information for selective routing of the first
information sequence and the second information sequence to the
plurality of computational elements.
The first information sequence may be a configuration
specification, may be a reference to a stored configuration
specification. The first information sequence, the second
information sequence and the third information sequence may have a
discrete packet form, or a continuous stream form.
A fourth information sequence of the plurality of information
sequences may provide power control for a selected computational
element. A fifth information sequence of the plurality of
information sequences may provide instantiation duration control
for a configuration of computational elements. A sixth information
sequence of the plurality of information sequences may provide
security control for a configuration of computational elements.
The various embodiments include a method for adaptive configuration
and operation, comprising: receiving a first routable and
executable information module, the module having a first routing
sequence, first configuration information and second configuration
information, the module further having first operand data and
second operand data; using the first routing sequence, selectively
routing the first configuration information and the first operand
data to a plurality of heterogeneous computational elements; in
response to the first configuration information, configuring and
providing the first operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for a first functional mode of a plurality
of functional modes, a first computational element of the plurality
of heterogeneous computational elements having a first fixed
architecture and a second computational element of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements having a second fixed
architecture, the first fixed architecture being different than the
second fixed architecture; and in response to the second
configuration information, reconfiguring and providing the second
operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for a second functional mode of the plurality of
functional modes, the first functional mode being different than
the second functional mode.
The first routable and executable information module may provide a
first operating mode. The method may also include receiving a
second routable and executable information module, the second
executable information module providing a second operating mode;
and selectively routing the second routable and executable
information module to the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements. The method may also include using a second routing
sequence, selectively routing the second configuration information
and the second operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements, the second routing sequence identical to
the first routing sequence.
The method may also include coordinating the configuration of the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for the first
functional mode with the first operand data and coordinating the
reconfiguration of the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for the second functional mode with the second operand
data.
The various embodiments include a method for adaptive
configuration, comprising: transmitting a first routable and
executable information module, the module having a first routing
sequence, first configuration information and second configuration
information, the module further having first operand data and
second operand data; using the first routing sequence, selectively
routing the first configuration information and the first operand
data to a plurality of heterogeneous computational elements;
wherein when a first executable information module is received,
configuring and providing the first operand data to the plurality
of heterogeneous computational elements for a first functional mode
of a plurality of functional modes in response to the first
configuration information, and reconfiguring and providing the
second operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for a second functional mode of the plurality of
functional modes in response to the second configuration
information, the first functional mode being different than the
second functional mode; and wherein a first computational element
of the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements has a
first fixed architecture and a second computational element of the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements has a second
fixed architecture, the first fixed architecture being different
than the second fixed architecture.
The method may be operable within a local area network, within a
wide area network, or within a wireline transmitter, for
example.
The various embodiments include an adaptive integrated circuit,
comprising: routable configuration information and operand data; a
plurality of fixed and differing computational elements; and an
interconnection network coupled to the plurality of fixed and
differing computational elements, the interconnection network
adapted to use a routing sequence to selectively route the
configuration information and operand data to the plurality of
fixed and differing computational elements, the interconnection
network further adapted to configure the plurality of fixed and
differing computational elements for a plurality of functional
modes in response to the configuration information. The plurality
of fixed and differing computational elements may be configured to
identify and select the configuration information from a singular
bit stream containing the operand data commingled with the
configuration information. The routing sequence may be coupled to
the configuration information to provide the selective routing of
the configuration information.
The various embodiments include an adaptive integrated circuit,
comprising: a plurality of executable information modules, a first
executable information module of the plurality of executable
information modules and a second executable information module of
the plurality of executable information modules each having
corresponding operand data and corresponding routing sequences; a
plurality of reconfigurable matrices, the plurality of
reconfigurable matrices including a plurality of heterogeneous
computation units, each heterogeneous computation unit of the
plurality of heterogeneous computation units formed from a selected
configuration, of a plurality of configurations, of a plurality of
fixed computational elements, the plurality of fixed computational
elements including a first computational element having a first
architecture and a second computational element having a second
architecture, the first architecture distinct from the second
architecture, the plurality of heterogeneous computation units
coupled to an interconnect network and reconfigurable in response
to the plurality of executable information modules; and a matrix
interconnection network coupled to the plurality of reconfigurable
matrices, the matrix interconnection network capable of using the
corresponding routing sequences to selectively route the plurality
of executable information modules among the plurality of
reconfigurable matrices, the matrix interconnection network further
capable of configuring the plurality of reconfigurable matrices in
response to the first executable information module for a first
operating mode and providing corresponding operand data to the
plurality of reconfigurable matrices for the first operating mode,
and capable of reconfiguring the plurality of reconfigurable
matrices in response to the second executable information module
for a second operating mode and providing corresponding operand
data to the plurality of reconfigurable matrices for the second
operating mode. A controller may be coupled to the plurality of
reconfigurable matrices, the controller capable of providing the
plurality of executable information modules to the reconfigurable
matrices and to the matrix interconnection network.
The various embodiments include an adaptive integrated circuit,
comprising: a first executable information module, the module
having first configuration information and second configuration
information, the module further having first operand data and
second operand data; a plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements, a first computational element of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements having a first fixed
architecture and a second computational element of the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements having a second fixed
architecture, the first fixed architecture being different than the
second fixed architecture; an interconnection network coupled to
the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements, the
interconnection network capable of configuring the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements for a first functional mode of
a plurality of functional modes in response to the first
configuration information, and capable of providing the first
operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for the first operating mode, and the interconnection
network further capable of reconfiguring the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements for a second functional mode
of the plurality of functional modes in response to the second
configuration information, the first functional mode being
different than the second functional mode, and capable of providing
the second operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for the second operating mode; wherein a
first subset of the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements is configured for a controller operating mode, the
controller operating mode comprising at least two of the following
corresponding functions: directing configuration and
reconfiguration of the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements, selecting the first configuration information and the
second configuration information from the first executable
information module, and coordinating the configuration and
reconfiguration of the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements with respective first operand data and second operand
data; and wherein a second subset of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements is configured for a memory operating mode
for storing the first configuration information and the second
configuration information.
The various embodiments include an adaptive integrated circuit,
comprising: a first executable information module, the module
having first configuration information and second configuration
information, the module further having first operand data and
second operand data, the module further having a first routing
sequence for routing; a plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements, the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements
designated by the first routing sequence of the first executable
information module, a first computational element of the plurality
of heterogeneous computational elements having a first fixed
architecture of a plurality of fixed architectures and a second
computational element of the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements having a second fixed architecture of the
plurality of fixed architectures, the first fixed architecture
being different than the second fixed architecture, and the
plurality of fixed architectures comprising at least two of the
following corresponding functions: memory, addition,
multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction, configuration,
reconfiguration, control, input, output, and field programmability;
and an interconnection network coupled to the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements, the interconnection network
capable of selectively providing the module to the plurality of
heterogeneous computational elements, the interconnection network
capable of configuring the plurality of heterogeneous computational
elements for a first functional mode of a plurality of functional
modes in response to the first configuration information, the
interconnection network further capable of reconfiguring the
plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a second
functional mode of the plurality of functional modes in response to
the second configuration information, the first functional mode
being different than the second functional mode, and the plurality
of functional modes comprising at least two of the following
functional modes: linear algorithmic operations, non-linear
algorithmic operations, finite state machine operations, memory
operations, and bit-level manipulations, and the interconnection
network further capable of respectively providing first operand
data and second operand data to the plurality of heterogeneous
computational elements for the first functional mode and for the
second functional mode.
The various embodiments include an adaptive integrated circuit,
comprising: a routable and executable information module, the
module having a first routing sequence, first configuration
information and second configuration information, the module
further having operand data; a plurality of fixed and differing
computational elements; and an interconnection network coupled to
the plurality of fixed and differing computational elements, the
interconnection network capable of using the first routing sequence
to selectively provide the module to the plurality of fixed and
differing computational elements, the interconnection network
further capable of responding to the first configuration
information to configure the plurality of fixed and differing
computational elements to have an operating system, the operating
system further capable of controlling, routing and timing
configuration of the plurality of fixed and differing computational
elements for a plurality of functional modes in response to the
second configuration information, the plurality of functional modes
capable of utilizing the operand data.
Numerous advantages of the various embodiments of the present
invention are readily apparent. The present invention provides an
apparatus, method and system for configuration and operation of
adaptive integrated circuitry, to provide one or more operating
modes or other functionality of ACE circuitry and other devices
incorporating ACE technology. The apparatus, method and systems of
the invention combine silverware modules or other configuration
information with an ACE circuit (or ACE IC), for the provision of a
selected operating mode. In addition, the various embodiments of
the present invention provide coordination of configuration with
data reception and provide independent control of power usage for
different portions of the IC.
Yet additional advantages of the present invention may be further
apparent to those of skill in the art. The ACE 100 architecture of
the present invention effectively and efficiently combines and
maximizes the various advantages of processors, ASICs and FPGAs,
while minimizing potential disadvantages. The ACE 100 includes the
concepts or ideals of the programming flexibility of a processor,
the post-fabrication flexibility of FPGAs, and the high speed and
high utilization factors of an ASIC, with additional features of
low power consumption and low cost. The ACE 100 is readily
reconfigurable, in real-time, and is capable of having
corresponding, multiple modes of operation. In addition, through
the selection of particular functions for reconfigurable
acceleration, the ACE 100 minimizes power consumption and is
suitable for low power applications, such as for use in hand-held
and other battery-powered devices.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations
and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit
and scope of the novel concept of the invention. It is to be
understood that no limitation with respect to the specific methods
and apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.
It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such
modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
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